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- Jan 14, 2004
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Dear EMRA members,
The Texas Medical Board has recently authorized diplomats of the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) to advertise themselves as "board certified" in emergency medicine. ABPS does not mandate that its diplomats complete an approved residency training program in emergency medicine. Physicians in primary care specialties and anesthesia may become "board certified" in emergency medicine by ABPS after gaining experience in the field. EMRA maintains that the only pathway to board certification is through an approved ACGME or AOA emergency medicine residency training program. To read EMRA's policy regarding board certification, click here.
Here is our letter to the Texas Medical Board:
March 26, 2010
Re: ABPS/BCEM Board Certification
Dear Texas Medical Board:
The Emergency Medicine Residents' Association (EMRA) is the largest independent resident physician organization in the nation, promoting excellence in medical education and patient care since 1974. In representing over 90% of residents training in emergency medicine, we are deeply troubled by the recent decision allowing non-residency trained physicians in Texas to advertise themselves as "board certified" through the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS).
EMRA strongly believes that training in an accredited emergency medicine residency program is the only pathway to board certification. EMRA only recognizes the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) and the American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine (AOBEM), both of which require residency training. The quality, caliber and depth of knowledge learned through a formal 3 to 4 year training program devoted to emergency medicine cannot be substituted by unsupervised experience on the field.
The ABPS, which is the governing body for the Board Certification of Emergency Medicine (BCEM), allows physicians trained in other specialties to represent themselves as "board certified" in emergency medicine to the public without completing an approved residency in the specialty. In a time when half a century of training skills have evolved into a specific, unparalleled and focused education the two are not comparable.
EMRA is greatly appreciative of the innumerable physicians who have helped staff hospitals nationwide for years and that began prior to the current availability of residency training programs. Nowadays, residency programs are widely available and have evolved significantly, going as far as producing subspecialties in emergency medical services (EMS), toxicology, emergency ultrasonography and disaster medicine to name a few. It is misleading to imply equivalency without residency training by asserting "board certification."
Emergency medicine is one of the more competitive specialties. Given the critical nature and the rapid analytical decisions that must take place, medical student applicants currently rank among the highest in their class. Alternative pathways of board certification will compromise this by allowing medical students that did not successfully gain entry into an emergency medicine residency program to complete another training program and still practice as "board certified" emergency physicians, a fact to which the majority of the public will not be aware.
Pediatricians are trained in pediatric residency programs, surgeons in surgery residency programs, anesthesiologists in anesthesia residency programs. Emergency medicine is a highly specialized field that must also retain and protect its requirement for focused residency training. The concept that we can cross specialties by on the field experience undermines our medical education and the nature of medical residency training.
None of these concerns is greater than that of public misconception. The lay public is not privy to the differences between "board certified", "board certified in ABPS" or "board certified in BCEM" and will assume that residency training in emergency medicine was achieved by the physician rendering care. This will prevent patients from making an informed decision regarding who they choose for their care.
We implore the Texas Medical Board to retract the position allowing ABPS-certified physicians to advertise themselves as "board certified", "board certified in ABPS", or "board certified in BCEM" for the reasons aforementioned. It would unknowingly be doing a great disservice to the thousands of physicians currently in emergency medicine residency training programs, the tens of thousands of residency trained physicians currently working in our communities and the millions of patients they serve.
Thank you for your consideration of this very important issue. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or need more information.
Respectfully,
Edwin Lopez, MD
President
Emergency Medicine Residents' Association
The Texas Medical Board has recently authorized diplomats of the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS) to advertise themselves as "board certified" in emergency medicine. ABPS does not mandate that its diplomats complete an approved residency training program in emergency medicine. Physicians in primary care specialties and anesthesia may become "board certified" in emergency medicine by ABPS after gaining experience in the field. EMRA maintains that the only pathway to board certification is through an approved ACGME or AOA emergency medicine residency training program. To read EMRA's policy regarding board certification, click here.
Here is our letter to the Texas Medical Board:
March 26, 2010
Re: ABPS/BCEM Board Certification
Dear Texas Medical Board:
The Emergency Medicine Residents' Association (EMRA) is the largest independent resident physician organization in the nation, promoting excellence in medical education and patient care since 1974. In representing over 90% of residents training in emergency medicine, we are deeply troubled by the recent decision allowing non-residency trained physicians in Texas to advertise themselves as "board certified" through the American Board of Physician Specialties (ABPS).
EMRA strongly believes that training in an accredited emergency medicine residency program is the only pathway to board certification. EMRA only recognizes the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) and the American Osteopathic Board of Emergency Medicine (AOBEM), both of which require residency training. The quality, caliber and depth of knowledge learned through a formal 3 to 4 year training program devoted to emergency medicine cannot be substituted by unsupervised experience on the field.
The ABPS, which is the governing body for the Board Certification of Emergency Medicine (BCEM), allows physicians trained in other specialties to represent themselves as "board certified" in emergency medicine to the public without completing an approved residency in the specialty. In a time when half a century of training skills have evolved into a specific, unparalleled and focused education the two are not comparable.
EMRA is greatly appreciative of the innumerable physicians who have helped staff hospitals nationwide for years and that began prior to the current availability of residency training programs. Nowadays, residency programs are widely available and have evolved significantly, going as far as producing subspecialties in emergency medical services (EMS), toxicology, emergency ultrasonography and disaster medicine to name a few. It is misleading to imply equivalency without residency training by asserting "board certification."
Emergency medicine is one of the more competitive specialties. Given the critical nature and the rapid analytical decisions that must take place, medical student applicants currently rank among the highest in their class. Alternative pathways of board certification will compromise this by allowing medical students that did not successfully gain entry into an emergency medicine residency program to complete another training program and still practice as "board certified" emergency physicians, a fact to which the majority of the public will not be aware.
Pediatricians are trained in pediatric residency programs, surgeons in surgery residency programs, anesthesiologists in anesthesia residency programs. Emergency medicine is a highly specialized field that must also retain and protect its requirement for focused residency training. The concept that we can cross specialties by on the field experience undermines our medical education and the nature of medical residency training.
None of these concerns is greater than that of public misconception. The lay public is not privy to the differences between "board certified", "board certified in ABPS" or "board certified in BCEM" and will assume that residency training in emergency medicine was achieved by the physician rendering care. This will prevent patients from making an informed decision regarding who they choose for their care.
We implore the Texas Medical Board to retract the position allowing ABPS-certified physicians to advertise themselves as "board certified", "board certified in ABPS", or "board certified in BCEM" for the reasons aforementioned. It would unknowingly be doing a great disservice to the thousands of physicians currently in emergency medicine residency training programs, the tens of thousands of residency trained physicians currently working in our communities and the millions of patients they serve.
Thank you for your consideration of this very important issue. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or need more information.
Respectfully,
Edwin Lopez, MD
President
Emergency Medicine Residents' Association